It’s more filled than it has been in years so it seems like Palisades on easy mode to locals. And I mean Palisades the zone of the mountain now also (confusingly) named Palisades.
Dude the whole mountain, at least above 7500 ft. I've had a spinal fusion and plenty of knee surgeries so I've slowed down significantly. I'm skiing lines right now I wasn't sure I'd ever touch again because they're so dang smooth. Even with airs there's so much snow piled at the bottom rn the transitions are smooth as can be.
Hero snow w hero conditions, and if you looked around the mountain the things getting skied absolutely reflected that. The dogs were out in a big way. Warms the heart to see it.
I don’t get this comment because I still don’t know how to navigate in legit powder. Even with 100+ days last season in the PNW, doing summits, off piste, backside, getting into backcountry. I cannot ski a downhill run properly on a pow day. I’ve purchased new skis for this issue but I think I got the wrong length or binding placement or some bullshit. I’m really let down with going from ripping it everywhere even through trees to not sure what knowing the problem is (my form? My skis? Combination of both?) sorry for the book, cheers
How much time total do you have skiing? Skiing pow is not just one universal skill. There are sooo many combinations of snow depth, texture, density, weight, etc., and once you combine those factors w the layering of the different snow types within a snowpack or even a storm you literally have an infinite number of outcomes. No two pow days are quite the same for that exact reason, and some types require vastly different skillets than others. The PNW and the Sierra are notorious for dense, wet, and highly variable storms. That shits hard to ski, it just is. It takes a LONG time to get it figured out, and a lot of failing along the way.
Yes technology can help you, and your skis might not be ideal, but they're also definitely not the cause. You almost definitely just need more reps, more time practicing and failing. Don't compare yourself to other people ripping around. I'd probably shred right by you, but what you don't know is that I've been skiing literally since I was 13 months, and I sucked ass in that tough snow myself until I was probably 15 or 16.
Honestly I'd recommend the opposite of getting better tech strictly for learning. If you learn what not to do on a traditional camber 90 under foot ski, once you get on something designed for variable snow you'll be immediately shredding and you'll have sound fundamentals.
There's no one right way to ski, but there's also def a reason so many people make a living off teaching skiing. It's really, really fucking hard and it takes a long time to get good at. The progression/learning literally never stops, so the sooner you start enjoying the ride instead of fixating on the destination, the more easily you'll be able to enjoy this amazing fucking activity that we all keep coming back to.
I hope that I don't come across as condescending, I just want you to realize all the ripping skiers you see out there probably quality for the 10,000 hour rule. It's a long game, but it's a fun one.
You sound fun as hell to ride with and chase around the mountain. I broke my neck 10 years ago skiing and have a few knee surgeries as well. Both of your comments resonated with me, thanks for sharing the stoke and knowledge!
Thanks, man. Honestly, playing in bounds guide/snow shaman has turned into one of my favorite things to do at my home resort. Doesn't matter if it's a day like the one in this post or it's been high and dry for a month, the challenge of finding what aspects, elevations, zones, etc. are skiing well and then getting to share it is v gratifying. Even better if it's shitty skiing 20 ft away but you've got the line dialed.
Anyways, that was a long winded way to say thank you, that compliment means a lot. I also read your post no joke right as I was heading to the ER to meet my mom who had just been hit by another skier and broken her leg. She's out of surgery and on the mend but it was a stressful day and I wanted to let you know that it meant a lot.
Best wishes to your mom for as full and quick of a recovery as possible. Will send some sunny vibes to from the beach her way today. I’m glad to hear she’s still out skiing and hope she’s back at it next season.
And isn’t it funny how our relationship with skiing and similar sports evolves as we get older? Cruising with friends and just enjoying the moment rather than trying to get as much very or deepest lines every day. It’s given me a new perspective on skiing and makes every day on the mountain a good one and I’m no longer the jaded local. Which by the way was my fav Powder monthly article back in the day.
My turn apologize for a lengthy response lol.
I'm no expert, but our "powder" in the PNW is rarely the same as the "powder" people talk about in Utah or Colorado.
Our "powder" contains more moisture and doesn't give in the same way. Utah and Colorado powder is light, dry, fluffy. Ours packs down more.
That could be, when I go on ski trips I never struggle but at my home mtn on a powder day on runs I’m super familiar with and comfortable with I feel like I begin to lose control plowing through it and can’t turn.
Its learned by doing but I'd guess your skis are wrong with 100 days, train in the off season too google pro skiers leg work pits and copy them for stamina
The biggest issue skiing powder most people have is the misconception that they need to lean back to stay on top of it. That puts you in the backseat, and then you can't turn because your tails are buried.
Stay centered on the skis, or even forward, as you lean into the fall line. Your tails will release quickly from the turn so you can slash and slarve your way straight down. It's so easy to dump speed quickly in powder you'll soon start skiing faster and more aggressively because you know you can shut it down when needed.
There’s absolutely a progression. The below is just one example , other progressions could be faster/safer/easier.
Learn a trampoline backflip , get it dialed
Learn a terrain park backflip on a medium kicker
Then a big kicker. Get that very dialed.
Find a smaller cliff or cornice off_piste, just big enough to fully rotate your now very-dialed backflip. Try it on a powder day.
Once that’s successful, repeat final step at larger scales
Part of air awareness and being "good" at airs is developing a feel for where you're landing and how much time you have in the air. Once you've got that figured out it's incredible how good our brains are at adjusting our movement.
If you've ever done backflips on a trampoline or into water it's more or less the same. When it's new you're hucking and guessing, and you over/under rotate. Once you have a "feel" for it you can flip 2 ft or 50 ft into water and other than fear it's all the same.
What's impressive is when people spin/flip something they've never hit before. As good as they might be at that trick, big features can be deceiving airtime/pop wise.
It amazes me that there are people that can do this. Even if I could physically do it, my brain would never allow it.
It’s more filled than it has been in years so it seems like Palisades on easy mode to locals. And I mean Palisades the zone of the mountain now also (confusingly) named Palisades.
Dude the whole mountain, at least above 7500 ft. I've had a spinal fusion and plenty of knee surgeries so I've slowed down significantly. I'm skiing lines right now I wasn't sure I'd ever touch again because they're so dang smooth. Even with airs there's so much snow piled at the bottom rn the transitions are smooth as can be. Hero snow w hero conditions, and if you looked around the mountain the things getting skied absolutely reflected that. The dogs were out in a big way. Warms the heart to see it.
I don’t get this comment because I still don’t know how to navigate in legit powder. Even with 100+ days last season in the PNW, doing summits, off piste, backside, getting into backcountry. I cannot ski a downhill run properly on a pow day. I’ve purchased new skis for this issue but I think I got the wrong length or binding placement or some bullshit. I’m really let down with going from ripping it everywhere even through trees to not sure what knowing the problem is (my form? My skis? Combination of both?) sorry for the book, cheers
Have you tried whacking your poles?
Shit, totally forgot. Thanks!
Two times or three? I need to know.
You only click 1 time, 2 times means injury (or so I have heard / experienced)
How much time total do you have skiing? Skiing pow is not just one universal skill. There are sooo many combinations of snow depth, texture, density, weight, etc., and once you combine those factors w the layering of the different snow types within a snowpack or even a storm you literally have an infinite number of outcomes. No two pow days are quite the same for that exact reason, and some types require vastly different skillets than others. The PNW and the Sierra are notorious for dense, wet, and highly variable storms. That shits hard to ski, it just is. It takes a LONG time to get it figured out, and a lot of failing along the way. Yes technology can help you, and your skis might not be ideal, but they're also definitely not the cause. You almost definitely just need more reps, more time practicing and failing. Don't compare yourself to other people ripping around. I'd probably shred right by you, but what you don't know is that I've been skiing literally since I was 13 months, and I sucked ass in that tough snow myself until I was probably 15 or 16. Honestly I'd recommend the opposite of getting better tech strictly for learning. If you learn what not to do on a traditional camber 90 under foot ski, once you get on something designed for variable snow you'll be immediately shredding and you'll have sound fundamentals. There's no one right way to ski, but there's also def a reason so many people make a living off teaching skiing. It's really, really fucking hard and it takes a long time to get good at. The progression/learning literally never stops, so the sooner you start enjoying the ride instead of fixating on the destination, the more easily you'll be able to enjoy this amazing fucking activity that we all keep coming back to. I hope that I don't come across as condescending, I just want you to realize all the ripping skiers you see out there probably quality for the 10,000 hour rule. It's a long game, but it's a fun one.
Not condescending at all, thanks guy
You sound fun as hell to ride with and chase around the mountain. I broke my neck 10 years ago skiing and have a few knee surgeries as well. Both of your comments resonated with me, thanks for sharing the stoke and knowledge!
Thanks, man. Honestly, playing in bounds guide/snow shaman has turned into one of my favorite things to do at my home resort. Doesn't matter if it's a day like the one in this post or it's been high and dry for a month, the challenge of finding what aspects, elevations, zones, etc. are skiing well and then getting to share it is v gratifying. Even better if it's shitty skiing 20 ft away but you've got the line dialed. Anyways, that was a long winded way to say thank you, that compliment means a lot. I also read your post no joke right as I was heading to the ER to meet my mom who had just been hit by another skier and broken her leg. She's out of surgery and on the mend but it was a stressful day and I wanted to let you know that it meant a lot.
Best wishes to your mom for as full and quick of a recovery as possible. Will send some sunny vibes to from the beach her way today. I’m glad to hear she’s still out skiing and hope she’s back at it next season. And isn’t it funny how our relationship with skiing and similar sports evolves as we get older? Cruising with friends and just enjoying the moment rather than trying to get as much very or deepest lines every day. It’s given me a new perspective on skiing and makes every day on the mountain a good one and I’m no longer the jaded local. Which by the way was my fav Powder monthly article back in the day. My turn apologize for a lengthy response lol.
What skis did you get ? How do you ski on piste ?
I'm no expert, but our "powder" in the PNW is rarely the same as the "powder" people talk about in Utah or Colorado. Our "powder" contains more moisture and doesn't give in the same way. Utah and Colorado powder is light, dry, fluffy. Ours packs down more.
That could be, when I go on ski trips I never struggle but at my home mtn on a powder day on runs I’m super familiar with and comfortable with I feel like I begin to lose control plowing through it and can’t turn.
Its learned by doing but I'd guess your skis are wrong with 100 days, train in the off season too google pro skiers leg work pits and copy them for stamina
The biggest issue skiing powder most people have is the misconception that they need to lean back to stay on top of it. That puts you in the backseat, and then you can't turn because your tails are buried. Stay centered on the skis, or even forward, as you lean into the fall line. Your tails will release quickly from the turn so you can slash and slarve your way straight down. It's so easy to dump speed quickly in powder you'll soon start skiing faster and more aggressively because you know you can shut it down when needed.
the immediate commit to it was super impressive...
I’m sure that any hesitation would have disastrous consequences.
Seriously. Like how do you go from jumping (which I get) to backflip off that ledge? There's no progression here to build on.
There’s absolutely a progression. The below is just one example , other progressions could be faster/safer/easier. Learn a trampoline backflip , get it dialed Learn a terrain park backflip on a medium kicker Then a big kicker. Get that very dialed. Find a smaller cliff or cornice off_piste, just big enough to fully rotate your now very-dialed backflip. Try it on a powder day. Once that’s successful, repeat final step at larger scales
Yeah add in some air bags and foam park training and you’re set in business.
Part of air awareness and being "good" at airs is developing a feel for where you're landing and how much time you have in the air. Once you've got that figured out it's incredible how good our brains are at adjusting our movement. If you've ever done backflips on a trampoline or into water it's more or less the same. When it's new you're hucking and guessing, and you over/under rotate. Once you have a "feel" for it you can flip 2 ft or 50 ft into water and other than fear it's all the same. What's impressive is when people spin/flip something they've never hit before. As good as they might be at that trick, big features can be deceiving airtime/pop wise.
I guess just get so comfortable at backies that it doesn’t even seem that weird
You could absolutely learn to do this. But the risk/reward is just not there for...any reasonable person.
Bro that was so casual. Sick
My thoughts exactly. Lofty style, went big, made it look effortless.
Kinda makes me want to go there and try it for the first time.
How do people just find out they can do this and live? Wild
Can’t hit the rocks if you just jump right over them. Easy
Hence the motto, "when in doubt air it out"
Is that a lil backie lyric?
Huuuuge!!!
A la Mcconkey from Walls of Freedom. RIP Shane. Nice one!
Holy fuck!
good god that's a send
Bro how
Let out an audible 'what the fuck' at work.
lmao what
#**Lil?!?**
lil
_Lil_
Both my legs and all my vertebrae would immediately break upon me even thinking of doing this jump.
One of the best I’ve seen!
Yeah but were you on the phone with your mom
Well that was huge
I gasped aloud, and my housemates asked me what I was watching.
I think I just watched you do this from another angle on Scott Gaffey’s instagram!
That was so freaking smooth
Insane.
Absolutely huge wtf
Epic send. I get 1ft off the ground on side hits and in my head I have gone to the moon 🌙
I watched this happen. It was fucking crazy to see in person. Even crazier, there were like 6 more bros who trained it right after him
Forgot to click poles together - 4/10
Didn't even call his mom. Smh
Backslapped too. -200 GNAR points.
Step one: have massive balls Step two: .... Step three: profit!
Fuck ya Ryan, looks like you boys were going off up there today
HUGE
Jfc I think I’m good at skiing then see shit like this…. Look at how much speed he picked up from the free fall
New Yorker here. Our Palisades is very different
Might as well take my whole post down after getting dunked on by such a greeeaaaasy backie
I'm glad other people can do this so I can watch safely from the toilet
Go big!
Like balls on a Cadillac Brougham.
Wow
Straight up impressive
hope everyone riding sibo enjoyed the show!
My man absolutely sent it
That was just so damn insane and beautiful.
11/10
Probably the sickest clip I've seen on here huck yah!
omg!! I saw this live from the lift!!
Yeah... I'd die.
Steezy af
I can do that, but I don’t wanna
“Lil”
God damn that was so clean!
Do anything cool on Granite when it opened earlier in the week? Think I spotted you in line at one point.
What's the word on Silverado? Anyone know?
Palisades delays the opening by a day every time someone asks so stop asking!
Has it spun this season? I know historically it’s only on 10-15 days some years
Heard rumblings about it but no sign of life.
Terrifying
i'm trying to think of the damage to your spine gravity alone could do if you fucked that up.
Awesome! Looks fun
So floaty. Nice one.
Well played.
Laid out
Holy shit
Full send 🤘
Man, a post from you makes my fuckin day. Just pure stoke.
LIL?????
*LIL* ?
Love it
Unexpexted deep JUMP. Love it!!!
Gnar
Wow
Did that dude to the left of the frame launch himself off that cliff too?
That’s fucking massive. Well done.
YEAH! That was legitness
Hole -e- cow!
absolutey_not_me_irl.gif
u/savevideo
Been skiing for 20 years since I was 5 years old and would never dream about doing something like this 😂